Photos: Getty ImagesSave this storySave this story
The damsel in distress was always a bit of an eye roll. You don’t need anyone to save you—you have everything you need to survive and even thrive. Hell, with the right hair, you could even rule the world (or your household, in the meantime). Winter’s biggest hair trends are proof that the right cut or color is a true power move.
For the no nonsense, a low-maintenance cut like a sharp collarbone lob or a style with no fussy layers frees up your time and hands to plot world domination. For those who don’t even break a sweat in the face of danger, a bare-it-all pixie with polish. And for the more free-spirited folks, a bouncy, curly disco shag will rule any dance floor—even if the dance floor is in your living room. (It is winter, after all.)
Winter color trends will also keep everyone around you on their toes. Black cherry and a deep dark inky brown look black at first glance, but reveal violet or chocolate tones for those who dare to get close enough. Chestnut red is an ingenue all grown-up—matured past apricots and strawberry blonde into something more capable and authoritative. And blondes will find a path that diverges—wintery vanilla for an aloof, icy look or buttery almond for a cozy blonde that still turns heads.
A new year is the perfect time to step into your power, and your hair can help. Below, we had the experts break down the cuts and colors that exude your confidence.
In this story:LargeChevron
- Winter haircut trends 2026
- Winter hair color trends 2026
Winter haircut trends 2026
Collarbone grazer
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
A collarbone-grazing length is boardroom-ready. It’s an “I’m too busy running things to have long hair” cut that still has polish. “I love the relationship between this length and clothing. It can skim the collar of a beautiful coat, sit against a turtleneck, or expose the shoulder of an evening dress,” says Sunnie Brook, a Los Angeles–based hairstylist. “It’s incredibly adaptable.”
London-based hairstylist Richard Mannah also expects to see this style pick up steam with his clients. “I think we’ll see a lot more hair settling around the collarbone this winter, but with a much more intentional shape,” he says. “Think of a length that grazes the collarbone with a strong clean perimeter, while the interior has just enough soft movement and layers to keep it from feeling heavy.”
Choose a length with your hairstylist based on your collarbone and neckline, rather than a generic length, says Brook. For fine hair, ask for some internal movement, and for a thicker or textured style, remove some volume in the interior while preserving the outside perimeter of the hair. “Tell your stylist you want the shape to expose and frame the neck and décolletage, rather than simply asking for a lob,” she says.
One-length reset
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
It’s been a long year. If the shags, layers, and face-framing of 2025 are starting to feel stale, a straightforward one-length reset may be in order. “Ask for a strong one-length perimeter with very minimal or invisible layering. The ends should feel substantial rather than wispy,” says Adam Federico, a Sacramento-based hairstylist and VP of technical education for R+Co, who adds that this looks especially good on medium or thicker hair types that have some natural volume and wouldn’t necessarily need to rely on layers to add oomph. (Finer hair may find this style looks too flat.)
Polished pixie
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
For the woman who has nothing to hide (like, not even some hairline acne), a pixie has always been a power move. “[It] brings the entire face forward—the eyes, cheekbones, jaw, neck, and ears,” says hairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul, who likes winter’s pixies to be sleek, sophisticated, and orderly, à la ’60s-era Jean Seberg or Mia Farrow. “The shape is clean and daring, but never rigid or over-groomed.”
“Ask for a very short, softly rounded pixie with delicate point cutting, rather than hard lines,” she says. If you want to add a little wink to the tidiness of the cut, ask to leave a few longer or irregular pieces for texture and playfulness that you can either slick back with gel or rustle up with some texturizing cream.
Power bob
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
The power bob is the patron cut of the woman riding the subway in a wrinkleless tailored suit, deftly handling two cellphones and a daily planner. (You might find yourself asking, Who is she?) Usually cropped somewhere between the jaw and the shoulder, “the power bob [has a] very strong blunt line,” says Miami-based hairstylist Franck Izquierdo. “We’re ready for hair that feels done again.”
The cut also does a bit of magic. “A bob can do wonders to highlight your jawline,” adds Nashville-based hairstylist Veronica Zinck. “This cut has very little layering. It’s about precision and creating weight in exactly the right place,” says Izquierdo. Ask for a strong super-blunt bob with little to no graduation and a solid perimeter.
Curly shag
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Power doesn’t just exist in an episode of Industry or Succession. Sometimes, there’s power in freedom (in platform heels, tons of sequins, and a wild Donna Summer or Bonnie Tyler curly shag). “Think vintage shag with shorter layers around the face and a crown that gradually opens into longer lengths,” says Kansas City–based hairstylist Tippi Shorter. “The fringe is what makes it cool and gives it that rocker feeling,” adds New York City–based hairstylist Garren.
Shorter loves this look for those with wavy, curly, or coily hair with medium to high density. She recommends finding a curl specialist for this cut because the exact layer placement has to change with the curl pattern. “Someone with a loose wave shouldn't receive the exact same layering map as someone with significant shrinkage.”
Winter hair color trends 2026
Black cherry
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Black cherry is the kind of color that makes you do a double take. She has black hair. Wait…. Is it red? No, maybe a little purple. A chameleon of a hue that presents itself differently depending—literally—on the time of day or location. “(It’s) a super-deep brunette with a red-violet undertone,” says Chase Kusero, a Los Angeles–based hairstylist. “Indoors, it almost reads as a glossy brunette, but when the light hits it, you see wine or cherry tones come through. It’s dark and sexy without being a flat black.”
Los Angeles–based hairstylist Larisa Love recommends starting with a deep brunette base and adding transparent red-violet tones over it. “Sometimes I’ll add a few ribbons underneath so the color catches differently,” she says. “The important thing is keeping dimension,” adds Kusero. “You don’t want one heavy opaque color.”
Chestnut red
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
After Disney princess Ariel grows up and tries her first caviar bump, she really embraces her dark side with the hair color to match. Instead of fire-engine red, she opts for a deep chestnut to signify that she’s more mature and worldly (and please don’t tell her friends about the caviar).
“We’ve seen red and copper dominate for several seasons, and (this) feels like their moodier evolution for winter,” says New York City–based colorist Renée Valerie Radoiu. “There’s still a desire for statement color, but it’s becoming richer and more sophisticated.” Ariel with a cocktail.
“Ask your colorist for a true saturated copper, not auburn and not strawberry blonde,” says Kusero. The key here is depth. “The base needs to be even first. Then I’d use a copper formula from roots through ends rather than creating lots of highlight contrast.”
Winter vanilla
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Winter is when the ice princess thrives. She doesn’t mess around with beach-blonde hair and pretending to be outdoorsy. Instead, she prefers the comforts of private transportation, expensive delivery sushi, and a creamy pale vanilla blonde. “Not icy platinum and not golden blonde, it sits right in the middle,” says Kusero. “Soft ivory, a little beige, very clean and expensive-looking.”
Unless you already have very light hair, a color lift may be your first step to get the crispy vanilla tone. “Ask for a luminous champagne blonde with a soft pearl finish, diffused roots, and brighter light around the face,” says New York City–based hairstylist Richy Kandasamy. “Be clear that you want dimension and warmth—not a solid platinum or a smoky gray blonde.”
Buttered almond
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
A step or two deeper (and slightly less high-maintenance) than winter vanilla, buttered almond is a soft beigey blonde with subtle almond or honey tones throughout. A great cozy winter hibernation for the aforementioned beachy, sporty blonde. “It still gives you the brightness people want from being blonde, but it has enough warmth and dimension to feel expensive rather than overly processed,” adds Austin-based hairstylist Ricky Hodge.
“Ask for a soft creamy almond blonde with a natural root and beige-gold dimension,” says New York City–based colorist Jenna Perry. “I would keep some natural depth at the root and create fine, blended highlights through the mid-lengths and ends. The placement should be delicate around the face, with slightly deeper pieces underneath to keep the blonde dimensional.”
Almost-black brunette
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
A truly mysterious femme fatale keeps her cards close to her chest. As such, her hair would also be a deep dark enigma. Almost but not quite black, the shade reveals warm chocolate tones in just the right light. “(This is) a deep dark glossy mocha brunette shade that features undertones of warmth,” says Nashville-based colorist Leslie Shores.
“It requires no lifting, so it does virtually no structural damage, and the grow-out is soft rather than a hard line,” says Julien Farel, a hairstylist who works in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida. “In a period where people are extending time between appointments, a color that costs the hair nothing and grows out gracefully is enormously appealing.” A bonus? “It also photographs beautifully in low winter light.”
Meet the experts:
LargeChevron
- Sunnie Brook is a Los Angeles–based hairstylist and Biolage brand ambassador.
- Jay Bulluck is a hairstylist and owner of Local Honey Salon in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- Julien Farel is a hairstylist and founder of Julien Farel Restore Salon and Spa in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida.
- Adam Federico is a Sacramento-based hairstylist and VP of technical education for R+Co.
- Garren is a New York City–based hairstylist and cofounder of R+Co.
- Sarah Hindsgaul is a New York City– and Los Angeles–based hairstylist and founder of Hindsgaul Hair.
- Ricky Hodge is an Austin-based hairstylist.
- Franck Izquierdo is a Miami-based hairstylist and cofounder of IGK Hair.
- Richy Kandasamy is a New York City–based hairstylist and vice president of color development for R+Co.
- Chase Kusero is a Los Angeles–based hairstylist and cofounder of IGK Hair.
- Larisa Love is a Los Angeles–based hairstylist and Joico ambassador.
- Richard Mannah is a London-based hairstylist and global artistic director of Joico.
- Jenna Perry is a New York City–based colorist and R+Co Collective member.
- Renée Valerie Radoiu is a New York City–based colorist and vice president of R+Color Education
- Leslie Shores is a colorist at Eric Marshall Salon in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Tippi Shorter is a Kansas City, Missouri–based hairstylist and global artistic director of Mizani.
- Veronica Zinck is a colorist at Eric Marshall Salon in Nashville, Tennessee.
